*Plugging of smuggling routes yet to get required focus
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 4: Contrary to the tall claims of all the concerned agencies particularly State Police about initiating all possible steps to check smuggling of narcotics and intoxicants, there is no let-up in the activities of drug cartels in Jammu and Kashmir as a result of which number of addicts in the State is increasing rapidly. The situation is worsening with every passing year mainly because focus is only on seizure instead of plugging the routes of smuggling.
As per the official figures, the copies of which are available with EXCELSIOR, during the period between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015 a total of 4282 kilograms of narcotic drugs were seized across Jammu and Kashmir and 588 cases were registered under Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPSA) against 863 persons. This seizure included 75.282 kilograms of charas, 101 kilograms heroin/brown sugar, over 2 kilograms of opium etc.
However, during the period between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016 the seizure of narcotic drugs was increased to 5393 kilograms. This includes over 180 kilograms of charas, 546 kilograms of fuki, 4161 kilograms of poppy straw, 148 kilograms of brown sugar, 25 kilograms of heroin, 8 kilograms of opium/powder and 133 kilograms of Ganja.
Not only narcotics, huge quantity of pharmaceutical intoxicants were also seized during this period from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir. The seizure includes 106965 capsules/tablets and 15218 bottles of syrup.
“The sharp rise in the seizure of drugs and pharmaceutical intoxicants clearly indicates that there is no let-up in the activities of drug cartels and drug peddlers are hell bent to destroy the young generation of Jammu and Kashmir and create Punjab like situation here”, official sources said.
“No doubt seizure of such a huge quantity of drugs and intoxicants by the concerned agencies is a praiseworthy step but the real success in preventing youth from falling prey to the activities of drug cartels can be achieved only when the routes of smuggling are plugged completely, which otherwise have not received the required attention till date”, sources added.
“Had the smuggling routes been plugged the seizure would have not increased alarmingly in the interior parts of State particularly in Jammu district”, sources said while disclosing that during the year 2016 maximum seizure of charas, poppy straw, brown sugar and intoxicants was made from this particular part of the State. The seizure includes 76 kilograms of charas, 879 kilograms of poppy straw, 14 kilograms of brown sugar, 104 kilograms of ganja and 32784 intoxicant capsules besides injections and syrup bottles.
Notwithstanding such a huge seizure, the possibility of large quantity of drugs and intoxicants successfully exchanging different hands and finally reaching youngsters in the length and breadth of the State cannot be ruled out as well-knit drug cartels are working right from Lakhanpur to Kashmir to spoil the young generation, sources said.
“The possibility of cops having joined hands with the drug peddlers to earn easy money cannot be ruled out”, they said while disclosing that in certain parts of the State the drugs are sold to the youngsters even outside the educational institutions but such activities are going on unabated due to the vested interests of concerned cops.
It is pertinent to mention here that few days back, Principal Sessions Judge Kathua rejected the bail application of a cop, who was arrested for selling narcotic substance to school going children.
“Entire police administration is aware of the fact that some narcotics are cultivated in parts of South Kashmir but till date this illegal activity has not been curbed completely”, sources regretted, adding “similarly, everybody knows that Lakhanpur is the main point of bringing in pharmaceutical intoxicants to the State but no mechanism has so far been evolved to bring an end to this activity at the entry point of J&K”.
“If immediate steps are not taken to plug the smuggling routes the situation will go beyond control and future generation of J&K would get completely spoiled”, sources said.
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